Assignment 13: BooOOOoooOOks

These are in no particular order they are all just very fantastic

• Harry Potter and All the Books, by J.K. Rowling 
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, by Mark Haddon
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
• This is a Book, by Dimitri Martin
• Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein 
• Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
• East of Eden, by John Steinbeck 
• Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
• The Giver, by Lois Lowry
• Gathering Blue, by Lois Lowry
• The Messenger, by Lois Lowry
• Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls

Assignment 12: Celebrity: Performance as Self

Honestly I don't even know where to begin. I don't know what I have more of a problem with: the fact that enough people actually listen to this walking piece of white trash, shame, and ignorance, or that the America I live in today is ok with its electoral candidates for President and the entire election as a whole is viewed as a joke by most of the country. I mean I guess I'm thankful that most people from my generation and generations above and below me recognize that this man is a complete clown, making money and a fool of himself. But while all eyes and memes are on Trump, almost nobody is actually paying attention to the real and important issues. Like who the hell is going to run and fix this shit show of a country. I don't know, I was just raised to take our democracy seriously, because we are a country lucky enough to be ran that way, but now that I'm finally old enough to vote it all seems like a big joke. I feel like if we don't cut the crap and start taking politics seriously its just going to get worse from here. 

Assignment 11: The Film Auteur

Wardrobe Similarities In Wes Anderson Films

(Moonrise Kingdom, Grand Budapest Hotel, and the Royal Tenenbaums)

The wardrobe choices Wes Anderson makes keenly reflect the character's internal, personal story on their outer being.

• clashing, often unnecessary headwear that hints to a backstory and helps emphasize quirky/ unique qualities of the character
• superfluous accessories that build through the story
• some sort of personal device carried around throughout the story
• something dangerous, inappropriate, and lumberous to carry
• very nice but somewhat disheveled suit, sometimes worn with unusual accompaniment
• facial hair (esp moustaches).
• bags of eclectic goodies that often become important plot elements
• unusual, non-lethal weapons  that often become important plot elements
• 
  

Assignment 10: David Mazzucchelli's Voice in Asterios Polyp

After doing a little research on Mazzucchelli, I am very interested and inspired by him as an artist and author. Asterios Polyp is extremely well executed, design wise as well as writing wise. This mind blowing, nitty gritty, incredibly intelligent work reflect's its author wholeheartedly in my opinion. I think Mazzucchelli really wanted to break way from collaborating with the traditional comics like Daredevil and Batman, and find his personal voice and project it through his own solo project. He uses his characters to voice his opinions of America, human nature, and the duality that inevitably appears in everyday life.

Assignment 9: Tone and Voice

The term “author’s voice” is usually referring to the author’s personal attitude towards the subject matter they are writing about. “Author’s tone” however is a term describing the mood of the writer, or the mood they want you to feel. For example, a writer can use various voices in his writing (satirical, patronizing, humorous, etc.) but tone is about the bigger picture, what the mood is after reading the words said with their voice. “While voice can be attributed as a writer’s representation of the truth that he depicts, tone can be said to be representation of his feelings or attitudes”(1). Voice can be considered stylistic, and different writers have different and unique voices. Tone however, only describes their mood or feelings

http://www.differencebetween.net/language/difference-between-voice-and-tone/

Assignment 8: Virtual Reality

I did not grow up in a video game household. I had a Nintendo GameBoy, a DS, and a Wii but all I really liked to play were the "girly" games. But boy did I looove those girly games. Nintendogs, Horsez, you name it. If it had a farm and horses in it I was begging my mom to buy it. I loved any sort of RPG where its a girl on a farm doing chores and taking care of animals, probably because I wanted to grow up on a farm really badly. I think it would actually make a pretty neat virtual reality experience, especially for people who live in the city who want to feel what the country is like.

An unexpected tumble,thud, and thump snap your world into view as you gain consciousness of your sleepy body in a heap full of blankets. You’re on your right side facing the wall, shoulder stiff from a deserved night's sleep. You finally roll over to see what made the commotion, but you could already guess. A wet nose, two eyes, and a tongue are waiting to greet you, and a wagging tail knocks over some more stuff from your nightstand. You swing yourself up out of bed, making sure to scratch the ears of the sleeping cat at the food of the bed. Shielding your eyes from the rising sun outside the window, you walk out of your bedroom through to the kitchen, where two more excited dogs are ready to be let outside. You open the screen door to your endless, story-book beautiful farmland. Green grass glowing orange with the bright light of sunrise. Fresh dew sparkling on each blade. Horses whinnying in the background, ready for breakfast. A slight breeze brings the scent of fresh hay and flowers to your nose.

BARK

THUMP

You’re suddenly on the ground, as three dogs race out the door knocking you off your feet.

“Well shit” you sigh, your HP meter just appeared in the upper left corner of your FOV (Field of Vision), and it went down 5 out 100 points.

“Those damn goons knocked me down hard”.

As you make your way inside to prepare the dogs’ breakfast, you daily “TO DO” list materializes on the counter

TO DO TODAY

MORNING CHORES

• feed: dogs, cats, horses, sheep, rabbits
• turn out horses
• give morning hay
• sweep

OTHER

• weed garden
• pick ripe things
• make salsa for Hellen’s Party

As you turn to go out the door and start your day, a blinking icon appears in the top right of your FOV

~HURRICANE WATCH FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW~

“For Christ’s sake, as if I didn’t have enough shit to do today, no I’ve gotta prep for this” you say out loud, half to yourself, half to the cat asleep on top of the refrigerator.
"Oh well, should be fun".

What is your voice? What constitutes your work?

          I like to think my voice is one of a 19 year old girl who is very confused and does her best to take the abstract racing thoughts in her brain into concrete words structured into sentences and whatnot, so that the average human may comprehend mayhem. I tend to be narcissistic, sarcastic, harsh, and sometimes overly poetic. Usually my in my writing I try to make you feel like you're sitting in a room with me, and I am talking to you directly. In my artwork I tend to be softer, prettier, more appealing. I like using pastels and pretty colors, purple, teal, baby blues. I like to draw dogs and paint flowers and stare at clouds, but when I write I like to rip and dig and use a thesaurus and make you think.

PROFESSOR INCOGNITO APOLOGIZES in class assignment

1. Are there any prominent symbols in this story? What are they and how are they used?                There is a lot of reference to the classic superhero and super villain gimmick, with the            costumes, hero names, secret lans and identities. The concept of the main character            working with the Martian is also far fetch and sci-fi/ superhero universe related. Also,            the form of his "apology letter" and all the information given to the girlfriend is very                legal-like,professional, and well thought out 

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the work with           you were able to connect?
        I really enjoyed the relationship dynamic between the two characters, and the way the           "note" (was it a note?) was written. If I was the girlfriend I would have a lot to think                 about after receiving all that information. I also really like this particular take on the                 whole "super heros/super villains" thing. I thought it was interesting that the narrator             took into account the stereotype of a villain and how he wasn't that at all. This was a             new point of view that I enjoyed, one of a socially adapt super villain who has a                     girlfriend who he loves. The story has me rooting for the bad guy.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another media? What changes           would you make? What medium would you use? 
        I think this story would make an excellent animated movie or series. These type of                 superhero/super villain stories tend to make themselves malleable to a film or series,             because they follow an individual through a personal journey that is fantastic to                     the regular viewer. I think this element, along with the deep personal relationship                   between the two characters would make a relatable yet entertaining series. I for one             want to know more. I want to know what design the girlfriend makes, what the fate of             the world is. Will Professor Incognito be successful? Will he get to live the rest of his             life with the woman he loves? I want to see what his lab looks like, maybe                             a hardworking music montage of him building it over the years. 

Assignment 7: In Response to Junot Diaz's Opinion

          After watching his interview with Seth Myers and reading the article, I openly agree with Junot Diaz. He elegantly explained the importance of the works of people of color and their role in preventing this country and culture from becoming "white -washed". He talked about the crucial factor in writing that brings people together, helps people understand each other: mutual relatable feelings and situations, things we identify with and label "real". Often times other cultures can seem just like stories, or information that is just fed to us. While it might seem hard to go out and truly experience other culture from the comfort of your own couch, it really isn't if you start exploring the works of ethnic authors. After reading the short story "The Book of the Dead" from Dewbreakers, I was able to understand a little bit more about the role of family and religion in Haitian culture, along with the conflict of love for a family member versus moral compas.

Assignment 6: Describe a World You Know

PREFACE

          I will whole-heartedly admit I over thought this assignment, and I had such insane writers block I wanted to break my fingers as an excuse for my lack of material. I went back to an old piece for inspiration, one that I felt could help me make something that fit that prompt. What is my world? Its a constant stream of internal vocal consciousness to be honest. I'm always listening to my own voice in my head, constant, nonstop, questions, worrying, describing, dissecting, over thinking. Its not always a bad thing though, I've finally come to realize that. It's just who I am. Below is my response to this prompt, a littler tangent-y (I apologize). 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have discovered that I am a fast paced person.

I cannot hear the vents creak with the moldy air that fills a classroom. I cannot see the dust fall into delicate piles on a worn out projector. I cannot smell the layers of chalk that line the metal ledge of a blackboard. I cannot feel the sun slightly filtered through windex streaked windows. I only strive to be heard, to have the last word in an unending debate of mixed subjects. I can only try to say as much as I can in the sliver of time allotted to my focus.

“Take a deep breath”, I am always told. “Slow down honey, count to ten”.

Creaky metal tracks ignited sparks along the subway. The car swayed as it moved, snakelike, underneath Cambridge corners. I could smell the tracks of one thousand travelers, and I could feel the fingerprints of all those lonely hands. I could see myself sitting gently on the bench in between two friends. My hair was messy from the city winds, my head was lying on my boyfriend’s shoulder, my eyes were half open in sleepy observance. I kept staring into the window, swallowing the scene around me, savoring every detail. It was like I was watching myself in a movie. There was a quiet that was not dense and not chilling, but simply cool. A cool silence that washed over everyone to cleanse us of our busy days. It set the buzzing thoughts out of our beehive minds. A silence that allowed the fast paced people, in a fast paced world, to simply be still. This calm silence allowed me to stop, slow down, and sit.

I sat. I sat and stared. I stared at myself in the window. Outside was pitch black, my reflection stared back at me. It was only the three of us on that quiet ride and I did what is common to do when caught in silence, I let my mind wander a little too far.

I thought about myself and life. I thought about how life has always been a little bit of confusion and frustration. Most people spend their lives trying to capture some sort of correct answer for everything. Maybe it’s because I’m stubborn, and I don't like being uninformed or not knowing everything, but it always bothers me that I don’t really know who I am yet. Constantly contradicting myself, surprising myself, unlocking parts of me I didn’t even know had a door. This is frustrating because we are supposed to know who we are as individuals, but we keep contradicting and surprising ourselves.  

The way I see it, humanity is constantly searching, digging around for trends to follow, genres to sort, and adjectives to assign. We like to make things belong, give everything a concrete category, to understand what things are. So is it crazy for me to think that there is this feeling in the back of our skulls, that aches to define each and every one of us? I think about this every day, it drives me mad. The irony of this is that every time is think about it, I discover a new piece of myself. Everyday I grow a little more insane, and it brings me closer to figuring out who I really am.

The subway slowed; the silence was broken by a thud, a screech, a muffled announcement from the driver. Instantly, I was ripped from my sedation, back into reality. Everything moved at once, but sequentially still in slow motion: I was trying to grab hold of the peace I had with reality for that short train ride. I gathered myself and grabbed my boyfriend’s hand, dragging him into the parking lot back to my car. My voice echoed in the garage, reviewing our exciting day in loud, excited sentences. I was back the sporadic version of myself. Starting my car, the volume filled the lot. The radio blasted a thick slow bass, layered with an insane eclectic guitar solo.

Assignment 5: American Mythology

When the term "mythology" is referenced it means a collection of myths associated or having come from a certain group of people (ie. geographical, cultural, religious, etc.). Webster's Dictionary states that a myth is "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events". America is not the first place the mind associates with “mythology”, usually one would remember the Greek and Roman gods, Norse and Egyptians as well. The creatures of Northern Europe, hybrids and monsters. Tales from times far from today. America’s history is new, young compared to the rest of the world. But we still have plenty of myths, Bloody Mary, Bigfoot, Native American Tales, Paul Bunyan’s big blue ox. Area 41 and ghosts however, are real. But what about the cowboys? What makes these iconic parts of American history culture “mythological”? Cowboys probably sit more on the “tale tale” side of things, because they lack that element of the supernatural. However the term is not ill-fitting, the tales of the Wild Wild West and the cowboys that resided in it were defiantely hyperboles that had a significant impact on American culture, usually amplifying happenings of events and certain people's’ personalities.

True Grit (2010) directed by the Coen Brothers and True Grit (1969) directed by Henry Hathaway both create a beautifully crafted window into the historical/mythical hybrid that was the wild west. Full of cowboys, harlots, injins, guns, booze, sex, dirt, poop, revenge, dirt, and my favorite all the horseys. The elements that keep the story “mythical” include things such as, revenge, heroism, and sacrifice. The main plot revolves around Mattie's plan to avenge her father's death to get revenge. One could argue that all of the main characters had heroic moments, but it quite obvious that Mattie is a tragic hero. Even though she gets her revenge, she loses her left arm. This annihilates any hope of living a normal life (given the time period). It could be said that she even sacrificed herself for her father.

Assignment 4: Stefan Zweig's Influence on Wes Anserson

The Grand Budapest Hotel, a fantastic film directed by Wes Anderson, is quite apparently influenced from the literary works of Stefan Zweig. It seems that Anderson, after falling in love with Zweig's writings, used both the authors personal life along with his writings( i.e Beware of Pity, The Burning Secret, the Post Office Girl) to draw creative similarities into his film.

One of the more noticeable similarities between the works of Anderson and Zweig is interestingly the tone from the narrator, who is controlling the story and speaking in from the future (reflecting on the past). This tone is somewhat passive, that is to say observing without any prior judgement, but defiantly prior knowledge. The narrator is quite sophisticated, using large words to describe people they see and interact with. This complicated and educated language resonates through both artists' work, and is used with special attention to character development. When Zweig wrote The Burning Secret it has almost a conversational feel in which Zweig would go off on glamorous tangents when describing characters, never fearing to get deeply personal. Zweig quickly develops a tangent ,once thought of as purely descriptive, into an important tool to convey information vital to the plot and development of the characters. Anderson’s technique is nearly identical. By bringing the viewers into these intensely personal descriptions of his characters he eliminates the viewer having to seek out information and draw conclusions about his characters.

In terms of subtext, both Zweig's literary works and Grand Budapest Hotel both highlight the issue of how society in Europe is being affected by the rise of communism and fascism. Zweig's Beware of Pity and The Post Office Girl both reflected on elements of World War II and Nazi oppression. In Grand Budapest Hotel Gustave was questioned by soldiers about Zero’s immigrant status, the same type of soldiers that seem to have had taken residence in the hotel. Then again at the end of the film, Gustave died trying to protect Zero and his girlfriend from the officers.

Assignment 3: What Would YOU Do? screenplay addition

The Anniversary Party Set Design         

            The Anniversary Party (specifically the 2001movie script by Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh) takes place in one primary setting, the home of Sally Nash and Joe Therrian. The movie takes place over the corse of only 24 hours, in which their relationship goes through an unexpected transformation in the presence of their close friends and cranky neighbors at their anniversary party.         
           If I was the set designer for this particular film I would take advantage of the singular geographic location and utilize every part of the grand home, back yard, and pool descripted in the screenplay. Joe and Sally are a fairly well off Hollywood couple, for whom money is not a large concern. I would design a set (or scout for a house that already existed) that resembles a high end Hollywood home. Large open room (lots of rooms at that) that each have their own aesthetic and color schemes. The visual feel of the rooms would fluctuate depending on the scene being filmed in there (i.e for the tense argument scence use harsh lighting to create contrast and tension -or- for the ecstasy scene emphasize the "trippy" colors and patters of the pool and patio). I think this film could very easy be just as visually dramatic with assistance of set/color/light, as it is narratively dramatic. 

Assignment 2: Who That Cool Artist

Leon Karrsen

          The artwork of Leon Karssen is honestly just really weird , and if he actually gives a fuck he is doing a really good job of not letting anybody know. His work is fantastic in my eyes, and a humorous but accurate fit for my generation. His simplistic compositions and characters make his work "catchy". Something about his work is seemingly nostalgic, I think it lies in his color palette choices. Bright neons and basic shapes, throw in some super tacky sparkles and some handwritten fonts. I don't know, something about it triggers a feeling of my childhood. Karssen's work is far from kid appropriate however, making it even funnier. As teenagers/ college students we are stuck between being a kid and an adult, we also crass, fed up, self-oriented, and overall crazy. I think Karssen's work also fits that description and thats why he is so popular on the internet today. 

Assignment 1: Questions

I am a fast paced, mentally messy person. I am paranoid and narcissistic. I have to much empathy. I hold to many grudges. I contradict myself. I love dogs. I am over obsessed with aesthetic. I eat to much cereal. I feel the need to define things but I struggle to define things. I am constantly lost, learning, and confused. I make up words. I tell bad jokes. I talk to animals in public.  I am chaotic, and indecisive. I will pet your dog.

Boston. No, south of Boston 40 minutes. 20 minutes north of Providence, Mansfield Massachusetts. So many trees.So many god damn beautiful trees. 19 years, five dogs, 7 cats, twelve rabbits , a guiana pig, hamster, horse,chinchilla, eight thousand fish. Good lord. Suburbia, clean mom, concerned parents, obnoxious child. Catholic school. Catholic middle school. Catholic High School, all girls? Scene phase, strict parents, bad haircuts. Drama club, cant sing, self esteem, boys. School, school, school. Family holidays, ill-awaited gatherings. Drama club, School. Feed the dogs. Let the cat in. Where are you going? Who are you with? Don't use that tone.

 

Honestly I'm not standing on much besides the sheer hope that the future will be bright/ish/er, and the hard work I put into my life will eventually pay off. Life can get pretty darn annoying and depressing. And honestly its just way to much work sometimes. But you've got to remember it will never get any better if you don't try hard. I want to do something fulfilling and satisfactory to me with my life, so I have to work hard.